Canberra on Friday gave hints that it will not accept the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) proposal from China unless Beijing removes 'additional' tariffs imposed on imports from Australia.
The hints came from Australian Minister for trade and investment Dan Tehan after he said that they want to be confident that China has a "track record of compliance" with its commitments under the World Trade Organization and existing trade agreements, Kyodo News reported.
The minister also said that the reopening of ministerial-level trade talks is a must before starting any negotiations.
"As we have conveyed to China, these are important matters which require ministerial engagement," Tehan added.
The developments came amid deteriorating relations between Canberra and Beijing.
Their relations have dipped after the Chinese leadership was incensed with Canberra calling for an independent investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus.
Relations had started to fray in 2018 when Australia banned Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies from building its 5G network, the first Western country to do so. Canberra has also been locked in an ongoing trade war with Beijing for several months as China has slapped sanctions on various Australian products.
( With inputs from ANI )
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